I want to tell you a story about Manson. Manson was this 28-year-old interior designer, a father to a loving daughter, and a son who found himself behind bars due to a broken-down judicial system. He was framed for a murder he didn't commit and was sentenced to the gallows. There were two victims of this murder -- the victim who actually died in the murder and Manson, who had been sentenced to prison for an offense which he did not commit. He was locked up in a cell, eight by seven, with 13 other grown-up men for 23 and a half hours a day. Food was not guaranteed that you'd get. And I remember yesterday, as I walked into the room where I was, I imagined the kind of cell that Manson would have been living in. Because the toilet -- The row of the small rooms that were there were slightly bigger than the eight-by-seven cell.
Nataka niwaambie hadithi inayomuhusu Manson. Manson alikuwa mpamba mandhari ya ndani ya nyumba mwenye miaka 28, baba mwenye binti anayempenda, na mvulana aliyejikuta akiingia jela kutokana na mfumo mbovu wa mahakama. Alisingiziwa mauaji ambayo hakuyatenda na kuhukumiwa kunyongwa. Walikuwepo wahanga wawili wa mauaji haya --mhanga mmoja aliyefariki kwenye mauaji na Manson, ambaye alifungwa gerezani kwa kosa ambalo hakutenda. Aliwekwa kwenye chumba cha jela, nane kwa saba, na watu wazima wengine 13 kwa masaa 23 na nusu kwa siku. Hakukuwa na uhakika wa kupata chakula. Na nakumbuka jana, nikiwa naingia kwenye chumba ambacho nilikuwepo, Nilitafakari namna chumba cha jela ambacho Manson alikuwa akiishi. Kwa sababu msalani -- Mstari wa vyumba vidogo uliokuwepo pale ulikuwa mkubwa kidogo zaidi ya chumba cha jela cha ukubwa wa nane kwa saba.
But being in that cell as he awaited the executioner -- because in prison, he did not have a name -- Manson was known by a number. He was just a statistic. He did not know how long he would wait. The wait could have been a minute, the executioner could have come the next minute, the next day, or it could have taken 30 years. The wait had no end. And in the midst of the excruciating pain, the mental torture, the many unanswered questions that Manson faced, he knew he was not going to play the victim. He refused to play the role of the victim. He was angry at the justice system that had put him behind bars. But he knew the only way he could change that justice system or help other people get justice was not to play the victim.
Lakini kuwepo ndani ya jela ile akimsubiri mnyongaji -- kwa sababu ndani ya jela, hakuwa na jina -- Manson alikuwa akijulikana kwa namba. Alikuwa ni moja ya takwimu. Hakujua ni kwa muda gani angesubiri. Muda wa kusubiri ungewezekana kuwa dakika, mnyongaji angeweza kuja dakika inayofuata, siku inayofuata, au ingechukua miaka 30. Ngoja ngoja haikuwa na mwisho. Na katika maumivu makali ya uchungu, mateso ya kiakili, maswali mengi yasiyo na majibu aliyokumbana nayo Manson, alijua kwamba hatotakiwa kuwa mhanga. Alikataa kuwa mhanga. Alighadhabishwa na mfumo wa mahakama uliomuingiza jela. Lakini aligundua kwamba njia pekee ya kubadili mfumo wa haki au kusaidia wengine kupata haki ni kukataa kuwa mhanga.
Change came to Manson when he decided to embrace forgiveness for those who had put him in prison. I speak that as a fact. Because I know who Manson is. I am Manson. My real name is Peter Manson Ouko. And after my conviction, after that awakening of forgiveness, I had this move to help change the system. I already decided I was not going to be a victim anymore. But how was I going to help change a system that was bringing in younger inmates every day who deserve to be with their families?
Mabadiliko yalikuja kwa Manson alipoamua kujifunza kusamehe kwa wale waliomuingiza jela. Naongea hilo likiwa ni ukweli. Kwa sababu namfahamu Manson. Mimi ni Manson. Jina langu halisi ni Peter Manson Ouko. Na baada ya hukumu yangu, baada ya kupata uamsho wa kusamehe, Nilisonga mbele katika kusaidia kubadili mfumo. Nilishaamua kwamba sitakuwa mhanga tena. Lakini ni kwa namna gani nitasaidia kubadili mfumo ambao ulikuwa ukiwafunga jela vijana wadogo kila siku ambao wanastahili kuwa na familia zao?
So I started mobilizing my colleagues in prison, my fellow inmates, to write letters and memoranda to the justice system, to the Judicial Service Commission, the numerous task forces that had been set up in our country, Kenya, to help change the constitution. And we decided to grasp at those -- to clutch at those straws, if I may use that word -- if only to make the justice system work, and work for all.
Kwa hiyo nilianza kuwaunganisha rafiki zangu nikiwa jela, wafungwa wenzangu, kuandika barua na nakala pacha kwa mfumo wa haki, kwenda kamisheni ya huduma za mahakama, baadhi ya mamlaka za dola zilizopo katika nchi yetu, Kenya, kusaidia kubadili katiba. Na tuliamua kushikilia katika hayo -- kufumbata mirija hiyo, kama naweza tumia hilo neno -- ili mradi tu kufanya mfumo wa haki utende kazi sawa, na kwa wote.
Just about the same time, I met a young university graduate from the UK, called Alexander McLean. Alexander had come in with three or four of his colleagues from university in their gap year, and they wanted to help assist, set up a library in Kamiti Maximum Prison, which if you Google, you will see is written as one of the 15 worst prisons in the world. That was then. But when Alexander came in, he was a young 20-year-old boy. And I was on death row at that time. And we took him under our wing. It was an honest trust issue. He trusted us, even though we were on death row. And through that trust, we saw him and his colleagues from the university refurbish the library with the latest technology and set up the infirmary to very good standards so that those of us falling sick in prison would not necessarily have to die in indignity.
N a katika muda huo huo, Nilikutana na mhitimu wa chuo mdogo anayetokea Uingereza, anayeitwa Alexander McLean. Alexander alikuja na wahitimu wenzie watatu au wanne kutoka chuo katika mwaka wa mapumziko, na walitaka kusaidia, kutengeneza maktaba katika jela ya Kamiti, ambayo ukitafuta katika Google, utaona pameandikwa ni moja ya jela 15 mbaya duniani. Hiyo ilikuwa kipindi hicho. Lakini Alexander alipokuja, alikuwa na miaka 20. Na nilikuwa nikingojea hukumu ya kifo muda ule. Na alijiunga nasi. Ilikuwa ni suala la uaminifu. Alituamini, pamoja na kwamba tulihukumiwa adhabu ya kifo. Na kupitia uaminifu huo, tulimuona yeye na wenzie aliotoka nao chuo wakikarabati maktaba kwa kutumia teknolojia ya kisasa na kuweka zahanati katika hali nzuri ili kwamba wale kati yetu ambao wataumwa wakiwa jela hawatokufa kwa kukosa heshima.
Having met Alexander, I had a chance, and he gave me the opportunity and the support, to enroll for a university degree at the University of London. Just like Mandela studied from South Africa, I had a chance to study at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. And two years later, I became the first graduate of the program from the University of London from within the prison system. Having graduated, what happened next --
Kwa kuonana na Alexander, Nilipata nafasi, na alinipa nafasi na msaada, wa kujiunga na shahada ya chuo katika chuo cha London. Kama vile Mandela alivyosoma akiwa Afrika Kusini, Nilipata nafasi ya kusoma nikiwa jela ya Kamiti. Na miaka miwili baadaye, Nilikuwa muhitimu wa kwanza wa programu kutokea chuo cha London nikiwa ndani ya mfumo wa jela. Baada ya kuhitimu, kipi kilifuata --
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(Makofi)
Thank you.
Asante.
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(Makofi)
Having graduated, now I felt empowered. I was not going to play the helpless victim. But I felt empowered not only to assist myself, to prosecute my own case, but also to assist the other inmates who are suffering the similar injustices that have just been spoken about here. So I started writing legal briefs for them. With my other colleagues in prison, we did as much as we could. That wasn't enough. Alexander McLean and his team at the African Prisons Project decided to support more inmates. And as I'm speaking to you today, there are 63 inmates and staff in the Kenya Prison Service studying law at the University of London through distance learning.
Baada ya kuhitimu, nilijihisi kuwezeshwa. Nilikuwa tena siyo mhanga nisiye na msaada. Lakini nilijihisi kuwezeshwa sio tu kwa kujisaidia mwenyewe, kushughulikia kesi yangu, lakini pia kusaidia wafungwa wengine ambao wanapitia mfumo mbovu unaofanana na huu ambao umeongelewa hapa. Kwa hiyo nilianza kuwaandikia nakala ya kisheria. Na mwenzangu niliyekuwa nae jela, tulifanya kila linalowezekana. Hiyo haikutosha. Alexander McLean na timu yake ya mradi wa jela zilizopo Afrika waliamua kusaidia wafungwa wengi zaidi. Na ninapoongea na wewe leo. wapo wafungwa na maofisa 63 katika huduma ya jela za Kenya wakisoma sheria katika chuo cha London kwa kupitia kujifunza kwa umbali.
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(Makofi)
These are changemakers who are being motivated not only to assist the most indolent in society, but also to help the inmates and others get access to justice. Down there in my prison cell, something kept stirring me. The words of Martin Luther King kept hitting me. And he was always telling me, "Pete, if you can't fly, you can run. And if you can't run, you can walk. But if you can't walk, then you can crawl. But whatever it is, whatever it takes, just keep on moving." And so I had this urge to keep moving. I still have this urge to keep moving in whatever I do. Because I feel the only way we can change our society, the only way we can change the justice system -- which has really improved in our country -- is to help get the systems right.
Kuna waleta mabadiliko ambao wanahamishwa sio tu kusaidia walio wanyonge katika jamii, lakini pia kusaidia wafungwa na wengine kupata nafasi katika haki. Katika chumba cha jela nilichokuwepo, kuna kitu kilikuwa kikinikoroga. Maneno ya Martin Luther King yalikuwa yakinijia. Na alikuwa akiniambia muda wote, "Pete, kama huwezi kupaa, unaweza kukimbia. Na kama huwezi kukimbia, unaweza kutembea. Lakini kama huwezi kutembea, unaweza kutambaa. Lakini vyovyote, namna yoyote itavyogharimu, endelea kusonga mbele." Kwa hiyo nikawa na shauku ya kusonga mbele. Bado nina hii shauku ya kusonga mbele katika kila ninalofanya. Kwa sababu nahisi njia pekee tunayoweza kubadili jamii yetu, njia pekee tunayoweza kubadili mfumo wa haki -- ambao umekuwa na maboresho makubwa nchini kwetu -- ni kusaidia kuweka mifumo sawa.
So, on 26th October last year, after 18 years in prison, I walked out of prison on presidential pardon. I'm now focused on helping APP -- the African Prisons Project -- achieve its mandate of training and setting up the first law school and legal college behind bars. Where we are going to train --
Kwa hiyo, mnamo tarehe 26 mwezi Oktoba mwaka uliopita, baada ya kutumikia miaka 18 jela, Nilitoka jela kwa msamaha wa raisi. Sasa hivi nimejikita katika kusaidia APP -- mradi wa jela zilizopo Afrika -- kufanikisha matwaka yake ya mafunzo na kuweka shule ya kwanza ya sheria na haki ndani ya jela. Ambapo tutafundisha --
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(Makofi)
Where we are going to train inmates and staff not only to assist their fellow inmates, but to assist the entire wider society of the poor who cannot access legal justice.
Ambapo tutafundisha wafungwa na maofisa sio tu kwa ajili ya kusaidia wafungwa wenzao, lakini kusaidia jamii nzima ya masikini ambao hawawezi kupata msaada wa kisheria na haki.
So as I speak before you today, I stand here in the full knowledge that we can all reexamine ourselves, we can all reexamine our situations, we can all reexamine our circumstances and not play the victim narrative. The victim narrative will not take us anywhere. I was behind bars, yeah. But I never felt and I was not a prisoner. The basic thing I got to learn was that if I thought, and if you think, you can, you will. But if you sit thinking that you can't, you won't. It's as simple as that.
Kwa hiyo ninaongea mbele yenu leo, Nasimama hapa nikiwa na maarifa kamili kwamba tunaweza kujitathmini wenyewe, tunaweza tathmini hali zetu, tunaweza wote kutathmini namna zetu na kutoelezea kuhusu wahanga. Kuelezea kuhusu wahanga hakutatupeleka popote pale. Nilikuwa jela, ndiyo. Lakini sijawahi kujihisi na sikuwa mfungwa. Kitu cha msingi nilichojifunza ni kwamba kama ningewaza, na kama unawaza, unaweza, utaweza. Lakini kama unakaa unawaza hauwezi, hautaweza. Ni rahisi kama hivyo.
And so I'm encouraged by the peaceful revolutionaries I've heard on this stage. The world needs you now, the world needs you today. And as I finish my talk, I'd just like to ask each and every single one of you here, wonderful thinkers, changemakers, innovators, the wonderful global citizens we have at TED, just remember the words of Martin Luther King. Let them continue ringing in your heart and your life. Whatever it is, wherever you are, whatever it takes, keep on moving.
Na ninapata tumaini kutokana na mapinduzi ya amani niliyosikia katika hatua hii. Dunia inakuhitaji sasa, dunia inakuhitaji leo. Na ninapomaliza hii hotuba yangu, Ninapendelea kuuliza kila mmoja wenu hapa, wasomi wakuu, waleta mabadiliko, wavumbuzi, watu wote kutoka ulimwenguni mliopo hapa TED, kumbuka maneno ya Martin Luther King. Yaache yaendelee kusikika katika moyo na maisha yako. Vyovyote ilivyo, popote ulipo, chochote inachogharimu, endelea mbele.
Thank you.
Asante.
(Applause)
(Makofi)
Thank you.
Asante.
(Applause)
(Makofi)